When my kiddo decided to graduate early in the school year, we had a discussion. This would mean missing “senior” things, like prom, skip-day, and graduation. My kiddo was adamant that this was ok. I prayed about, we discussed what things would look like, and did a bunch of research.
My Mom chose not to walk at her graduation decades before and told me that she still has no regrets. Standing in front of lots of people like that did not sound appealing to her. This sounded logical.
Fast forward to now. My kiddo is ok. There were a few moments of wondering “what if”. But, when I asked if there were regrets, the answer is a no. I know the ” what if”s right now are because the senior stuff and graduations are all over social media. I don’t think there’ll be any “what if”s in a year from now.
Tonight I am thankful that these rituals or rights of passage that we seem to place so much weight on, simply aren’t for everyone. And that’s ok! Parents even suggest that this decision had any ramifications on me. First, and most simply, it wasn’t my graduation! But, didn’t I want to see my kiddo walk across the stage? I don’t care! I want to see my kiddo happy and living their life; not struggling and doing things just be a use it’s expected. That is what I want to see!
Tonight I am even more thankful that my kiddo is happy! My kiddo has blossomed more in the past few months after graduating early than would have happened staying in school. I have no doubt about this!
Momma's Silver Lining 